Disney+ Goes All-In On Simultaneous Streams & 4K

The company provided an update on its new streaming service last week during the 2019 D23 Expo. As part of that update Disney+ reportedly confirmed users of the new service can expect to make use of four simultaneous streams. In addition, content will be available in 4K and HDR.

The details on the streams and 4K support were provided by CNET and both features will be included in the baseline price. In other words, Disney+ users will not have to pay anything extra to take advantage of these additional benefits.

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Disney previously confirmed Disney+ will arrive to market priced at $6.99 per month.

Disney+ compared to Netflix

Although not an isolated instance, Netflix is the obvious comparison point here. Netflix plans start at $8.99 per month in the U.S. However, that's for the company's "Basic" plan which only allows SD playback and one stream at a time.

To get four same-time streams and 4K playback, Netflix users would have to opt for the "Premium" plan. This plan is priced at $15.99 per month making it almost twice as expensive as the Basic plan. The plan that is already going to be more expensive than Disney+.

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These details further confirm Disney is looking to ensure it offers a quality service at the lowest possible price possible. Disney could have just as easily also gone down the route of separating plans based on the number of streams and streaming quality, but instead has opted to offer as much value as it can.

Extra features without the extra cost is not the only way Disney+ plans to offer greater value. The company previously confirmed Disney+ will be available as part of a bundle. The bundle, comprised of Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu will cost $12.99 per month.

More value, more features, more devices

Multi-stream and 4K were only two features confirmed at the D23 event. Disney also made it clear a single Disney+ account will offer up to seven different profiles at no extra cost. This will allow different family members to further customize the experience to best suit their individual needs.

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Disney also spent a good amount of time talking about the number of new and original shows that will be coming to the service, while also confirming new episodes will drop weekly.

In a separate announcement last week, Disney announced device support for the new service. That announcement confirmed Disney+ will be accessible via a wide range of devices and platforms. Including Android TV.

John has been writing about and reviewing tech products since 2014 after making the transition from writing about and reviewing airlines. With a background in Psychology, John has a particular interest in the science and future of the industry. Besides adopting the Managing Editor role at AH John also covers much of the news surrounding audio and visual tech, including cord-cutting, the state of Pay-TV, and Android TV. Contact him at [email protected]